Melania Threatens To Sue After Billboard Uses Her Image To Promote English Speaking Classes

By: Christopher Feery | June 19, 2019

Famous folks are generally protective of their likenesses, and for good reason. Advertisements featuring their name or image can make it appear as if they’re personally endorsing the product or service in question.

If they don’t, that opens up a gigantic can of worms. In other cases, their name or image can be used in an unflattering fashion as a mere promotional tool without them even being aware of it. As the Daily Mail shares, that recently happened to First Lady Melania Trump, and she immediately threatened to sue.

“Melania Trump has threatened to sue a Croatian language school over its billboard which asks 'just imagine how far you can go with a little bit of English' over a picture of the first lady.
The Americki Institut school in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, say they posted they billboards to inspire its students,” the Mail reports.

“But Melania, who was born in Slovenia, failed to see the funny side and her lawyer has demanded that the billboards be immediately removed. The adverts were taken down today.”

The First Lady has become more cognizant of the fact that her image is being used to promote all kinds of things, and she’s taken the steps to put an end to it. While it doesn’t sound like the school intended any harm, this is certainly not the most flattering way to pay tribute to the First Lady of the United States.

“I'm satisfied with the fact that the school admitted that they violated the law and that they are ready to remove the billboards and (Facebook) ads,” noted Trump's Slovenian lawyer Natasa Pirc-Musar. “We are still analyzing possible further legal steps.”

As for the school, founder Brett Campbell insists that they meant no harm whatsoever.

“We are witnessing the great wave of emigration of Croatians who are looking for their fortunes in Anglo-Saxon countries, such as Ireland, Canada, Australia etc,” he said. “If you are well-versed in English, in these markets you can go very far. And we can help you.”

Fair enough, but this was an obvious stunt that the First Lady has every right to be upset about. Ivis Buric, the woman behind the campaign, also notes that no disrespect was intended, explaining that people “can have all sorts of opinions about Melania... they can not deny her the success she deserves.”

She also says that the advertisements were 'meant to be something positive, to show her as a role model.'

“We are very sorry that the billboards were misunderstood as something intended to mock the U.S. first lady,” Buric said.

We’ll assume that this one will blow over without the need for further legal action. In a perfect world, it will also serve as a deterrent to those interested in using the First Lady’s image or likeness for an attention-grabbing stunt. While those that do such things may view it as a means of flattering her, the reality and end results are vastly different.